The Map
by Nroque18
Summary: The Map to El Dorado was ripped into seven pieces, and now Matt and his crew have to find them. Their quest for the second piece of the Map will take them to Valencia, home of the Armada, their deadliest enemy! The fourth installment in Pirate Legacy.
1. Chapter 1

**The Map**

Chapter One

We stepped off the gangplank to Scrimshaw, birthplace of my best friend and first mate, Rena Raden. The leviathan's skeleton hung over the town as I and my trusted associates walked to the Hole in the Wall, a nearby tavern.

I sat down at the bar, where a Rat was wiping tankards. "I'm looking for One-Eyed Jack."

"Aye, I know that old rascal. He was here, not two days gone. Waiting for something, he looked to be. But he's not here now." The barkeep answered as he slid a tankard of Yum down the counter.

As I took a sip of my Yum, the barkeep continued. "Rats came for him. Wharf Rat thugs, mean ones, too. They took Jack into the city. Look for him there."

I nodded as I finished my Yum and left some money on the counter. We decided to split up into pairs and search the city, rendezvousing at the dock entrance. Rena and I walked through the sandy streets of Scrimshaw, and we soon came across a familiar building.

"Look, this is where my mother's bookshop used to be." Rena said as she pointed to the door of the building.

"Yeah, before I smuggled you across Skull Island to Port Regal." I said, smiling. "I still remember how angry Uncle Haytham was when he found you and your mother in the hold."

Rena laughed, and a familiar voice said, "We meet again, young Pirate. I take it you're looking for One-Eyed Jack?"

"Blind Mew, how the blazes did you get here and how do you know?" I said, nearly jumping out of my boots as I looked at the blind Cat.

"You doubt me? As I've said before, I may be blind, but I have long ears. Do you want to know where Jack is, or no?" Rena and I nodded, and Blind Mew continued: "Very well then."

"I distinctly heard the soft rustle of rabbit fur pass me, accompanied by the footfalls of hobnailed boots of the kind favored by Wharf Rats."

"A voice, definitely a Wharf Rat, spoke of getting paid for easy work, and specifically mentioned the name Nim."

"Nim and his gang lurk in the Warrens, under the town. I know the way." Rena said darkly, and I knew why. They'd been the source of most of the Radens' troubles until they moved to Port Regal.

We regrouped with the others, and Rena led us to a manhole, where we lifted the cover and climbed down the ladder to the Warrens.

We followed Rena to a spacious part of the sewer, where there were several tents pitched. Nim's gang was already gathered there, weapons drawn.

"Well, if it isn't little Rena, and I see she's brought some friends!" The lead Rat I recognized as Nim called out. "Let's trash these pirates, and then the map is ours!"

Bonnie, Emmett, and I fired an opening volley with our guns, and then we engaged in close quarters combat. Rena had gone straight after Nim, and I decided to cover her.

As one Wharf Rat brought his dagger down in a mighty cut, I concentrated and the dagger clanged off a Valor's Shield. As the Wharf Rat looked at me in surprise, I punched him in the stomach, and as he bent over, I slammed the hilt of my sword into his head.

I glanced briefly over my shoulder to see that Nim was on the defensive, and I turned my head just in time to deflect a Wharf Rat's dagger. I stuck out my foot to trip my attacker and slammed the flat of my blade into his head.

Rena had locked blades with Nim, and she was being overpowered. Bonnie Anne aimed her Scaramanga musket and pulled the trigger, and Nim let go of his cutlass, his arm stunned.

Rena seized the opportunity, and slammed the flat of her blade into Nim's head, knocking him out. The other members of his gang had been knocked out by the others, and we regrouped.

"Map, what map?" Ratbeard asked as he sheathed his cutlass.

"What the devil's this map everybody's talking about?" Bonnie asked as she reloaded her Scaramanga. We went deeper into Nim's lair, where we soon found One-Eyed Jack in a small cell.

"What kept you, Matt? I thought those rats would be the end of me!" One-Eyed Jack asked.

"You'd best watch yourself. Rumor has it the mother of all treasure maps has been found in Skull Island, and that _you_ have it."

"Every cutthroat and corsair from here to Port Regal's hunting for that map. Captain Avery's been saying _you _have it."

"I take it you don't have the map? Too bad, you should sort this out with Avery. We're even – you don't owe me a favor for this after all."

One-Eyed Jack followed us out of the Warrens, and he assured us that he would be able to find safe passage back home when we reached the docks.

We sailed south back to Skull Island, and we set off at a brisk pace to Captain Avery's office, where the steward of Skull Island stood to greet us from his desk.

"My dear young captain, welcome home! I've just gotten word from Puerto Mico that the treaty has been signed. I knew you could do it! I think…"

"So what's this about the map?" Rena demanded.

"Map, what map? I don't know what you mean." Captain Avery said, chuckling nervously.

"You're not doing a very good job of covering it up. You know something about the map everyone's been talking about." Rena continued, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.

"Oh. _That _map." Captain Avery said, in a weak attempt to feign ignorance.

"Yes, I admit, I have not been completely honest with you. You must understand, I thought you were dead or rotting in some Monquistan prison."

"So you're saying _you_ have the map?" I asked.

"Of course I have the map, or a piece of it, anyway. It's time for you to learn why it's so important. That's a long tale…" Captain Avery said. We all sat down in wooden chairs as Captain Avery began his tale.

"Have you heard of El Dorado? It's a legend of the skyways: a lost island of solid gold!"

"But you can't just sail there. The Stormgate to El Dorado never appears in the same place twice, and doesn't stay open for long."

"Marco Pollo, greatest explorer the Spiral has ever known, made a Map that can guide a ship to El Dorado. That Map is the key to unimaginable wealth!"

"The problem is that that much wealth is dangerous – pirates will kill for it! So, to protect the secret, Marco Pollo tore his map into seven pieces, and hid them throughout the Spiral."

"I don't know how, but Captain Gunn got one of the pieces. You've seen it, you know."

"Huh? But I don't remember." I said doubtfully. Captain Avery shook his head in disbelief.

"You don't remember? You found it in Gunn's treasure – it was the piece of sailcloth the Monkey Chalice was wrapped in! Truth be told, that sailcloth was the reason I sent you after Gunn's treasure in the first place."

"I regret the deception, young captain, but I'll make it up to you."

"Proposition: I cut you in on my venture."

"There are six more pieces out there, waiting to be found. Help me acquire the rest of the map, and we'll split the loot, equal shares. Agreed?"

Though I serious doubted he'd actually give us our fair share, I shook his hand. "Very well then, I accept your offer."

"Good! Now, let's have a look at that map…" Captain Avery said as he began searching through the paperwork on his desk, growing more and more anxious. "Wait! Where is it? Curses! FIN! He's taken the map!"

"Fin Dorsal?" I asked, remembering the Shark he had hired Rena and me to catch in order to get our first ship (read: raft.)

"Why do I trust that blackguard? Fin was a member of the Cutthroats. I bet he's already set sail. Go attack a Cutthroat ship out in the Skyway, and see if you can find out where Fin's gone!"

We stood up to leave, and we ran back to the _Aquila_. We quickly set sail, where we soon found a Cutthroat ship, patrolling the waters for ships to plunder.

"Make ready, boys!" Our gunnery officers, the Clutterbuck brothers shouted as we drew closer. As our starboard side drew level with theirs, we traded broadsides.

We all ducked as sparks and splinters flew at us, and the _Aquila _turned to pursue the fleeing Cutthroat ship.

"Make ready, boys!" David Clutterbuck shouted. His men hurried to load the cannons with chain shots, and as we caught up with the Cutthroat ship, they fired the cannons.

The masts of the Cutthroat ship toppled like trees, and my men furled the sails so the _Aquila_ drew to a stop next to it.

"Hook us in! Bring her close!" Rena shouted as she drew her saber and pointed it at the Cutthroat ship. Richard Clutterbuck handed each of his men a sparquebus, and they joined David's men.

"Man the swivels! Cover from the quarter deck!" David Clutterbuck shouted as he fired a pistol at the approaching Cutthroats.

"Secure the aft lines! Tie off the bow!" Rena shouted. I let go of the wheel and Rena took hold of it. "The ship is yours, Rena!"

I joined the boarding party gathered on the quarter deck, and I led the charge onto the deck of the Cutthroat's ship.

I landed onto the deck, where almost immediately, I had to parry an attack and then knock out the offending Cutthroat.

After most of the Cutthroats had been defeated, I seized hold of the captain's shirt and pushed him towards port side, where he leaned backwards over the railing, my hand the only thing keeping him from falling overboard.

"Where is Fin Dorsal?" I demanded.

"You want Fin? Look for him at Cutthroat Bay!" The Shark cried, and I pulled him back onto the ship. As I boarded the _Aquila_ and retook the helm, we sailed north to Tradewinds Skyway, leaving the Cutthroats to repair their ship.

Cutthroat Bay was a large lagoon fed by four waterfalls, and it looked like a nice place to go swimming, but right now, we had to find Fin, and we soon came across a cave.

We all nodded and I led the others into the cave, where a whole crew of Sharks was sitting at a wooden table in the center of the cavern, and flags taken from defeated ships hung all around the cavern.

"It looks like we've got company, boys! Sharpen your cutlery, they're our dinner!" The lead shark with the golden trident push-dagger shouted as they stood and drew their cutlasses.

Bonnie, Emmett, and I fired our guns, stunning four of the Cutthroats, and we charged into battle. I deflected one Cutthroat's cutlass and then fired Gunnery into his head, knocking him out.

As two Cutthroats ran towards me, they were stunned by Emmett's pistols, and as Ratbeard kicked another in the stomach with his peg leg, I slammed the flat of my blade into the Shark's head.

I made eye-contact with Bonnie, and I quickly restrained one of the Cutthroats from behind, making him an easy target for Bonnie's Scaramanga.

Old Scratch waved his staff, and two giant glowing skeletal hands emerged from the ground, restraining a Shark so that Jack could finish him off by slamming the flat of his blade into the Shark's head.

As Rena knocked out the last Cutthroat, the leader backed away as we cornered him.

"Hold your fire, captain! If it's Fin you want, he isn't here. He's took that what he stole and gone to meet his buyer, in the vortex near the Presidio." The lead Shark said.

As thanks for the information, I decided to spare him, and we left the cave to board the _Aquila_.

"The vortex near the Presidio is called the Shipwreck Tempest." Rena said as she checked the atlas written by our friend and landlord, Nikolai Volkov. I nodded. "Set course for the Shipwreck Tempest!"


	2. Chapter 2

**The Map**

Chapter Two

Everyone aboard the _Aquila _tied themselves down as we prepared to enter the Erebus. I steered the _Aquila _into the vortex, where we all braced ourselves as the _Aquila_ passed through.

A few seconds later, the Aquila safely entered the eye of the vortex, where we saw a Valencian ship with black sails, distinguishable by its turbine-like black sails and "fins" made of black sailcloth on the hull of the ship. Brass letters on the bow read "The _Erebus_."

I gestured to the men at the capstan to slowly lower the anchor, and my trusted associates joined me near the starboard railings to spy on Fin Dorsal, who was speaking with an Armada officer.

"Where's Deacon?" Fin asked. He had a small crew of Cutthroats with him.

"I have come in his place. I'm afraid you aren't worth his time. If you have the map, I'm prepared to…" Then the Armada officer, holding an ornate rifle, noticed us gathered on the _Aquila_'s quarter deck, weapons drawn.

"What, who is this? Friends of yours, Fin?" The Armada officer asked.

"No." Fin said darkly before turning to me. "Looking for trouble, Pirate? You found it. I've got some new friends, and they don't like you. This is going to be fun."

Richard Clutterbuck shouted an order, and the men fired chain shots at the _Erebus_, ripping apart its sails.

"Hook us in! Bring her close!" Rena shouted as she pointed her saber at the _Erebus_. Richard handed each of his men a sparquebus, and they each took out a Cutthroat or a Clockwork soldier.

"Man the swivels! Cover from the quarter deck!" David Clutterbuck shouted as he fired a pistol at a Clockwork musketeer preparing to fire.

"Secure the aft lines! Tie off the bow!" Rena shouted as the men threw grappling hooks onto whatever part of the _Erebus_ was conveniently available.

I and my trusted associates led the charge onto the _Erebus_, and as I landed onto the quarter deck, I summoned a Valor's Shield to absorb the blasts of the Clockwork musketeers.

I quickly stunned the Armada officer behind the firing line, and as the Clockworks were reloading, I broke through their lines to destroy their officer.

I brought the edge of the sword onto the Armada officer's head, and then quickly decapitated a Clockwork musketeer trying to stab me with a bayonet from behind.

Fin Dorsal barreled towards me, and I used Gunnery to send him reeling backwards. He recovered quickly and his cutters slammed into the flat of my blade.

I noticed Bonnie on the rigging of the _Aquila_, her Scaramanga aimed at Fin. She pulled the trigger, and he was stunned just long enough for me to kick him in the stomach and slam the hilt of my sword into his head.

The _Aquila_'s swivel guns, haven taken out the Clockworks manning the swivel guns on the _Erebus_, began to fire grapeshot at the Clockworks, taking out many of them.

"We'll handle things here! Withdraw!" I shouted. As the men carried their injured shipmates back onto the _Aquila_, I and my trusted associates were left to face the rest of the Clockworks.

As a platoon of marines approached us with halberds and shields, the swivel guns fired round shots at them, breaking up their formation and leaving them disorganized.

Those of us with swords made short work of the marines, and as the Clockwork musketeers formed a firing line, I put up a Valor's Shield just in time to absorb the oncoming bursts of electricity.

As I put down the shield, the others charged into the fray, and feeling tired, I gladly let them as I stopped to catch my breath. I saw Rena throw her dagger into the head of a nearby Clockwork soldier, and decapitate another with her sword.

Bonnie and Emmett slammed the butts of their guns into the heads of the Clockworks, and Jack and Ratbeard hacked and slashed through their ranks while purple lightning arced from the top of Old Scratch's staff like the branches of a tree.

As the last of the Clockworks were defeated, I noticed the Armada officer twitching as he leaned against the starboard railing, and Fin beginning to sit up.

"I want you to remember this moment, Pirate. This is the…" Fin began menacingly, but was cut off by Bonnie, who responded with: "Enough already, you git! Now, let's get the map!"

"You think… you've won? You… haven't." The Armada officer asked me as I heard Bonnie stun Fin again from behind me.

"I recognize you, Pirate. You're the fugitive. You need to understand. Before, you were… an annoyance. Now… you are a target."

"The Armada will haunt you. Deacon will haunt you. We do not tire. We do not… sleep. We do not stop, ever. That map will be your… doom."

"They may not stop, but they do die." Ratbeard remarked as he stabbed his sword into the Armada officer's chest, silencing him. We walked up to the stern deck, where there was a small chest. "At last, let's have a look at this map."

"I've never seen anything like it. What are these marks along the edges?" Emmett asked as they all looked at the piece of the map over my shoulder as I took it out of the chest.

"These signs are the ancient mojo – I and I cannot read them. Ancient secrets are written here, waiting to be revealed." Old Scratch said.

"These are ancient letters from MooShu. I can't read them." Rena said. We had both picked up some of the language from our trading voyages there.

"Maybe Avery knows what they are. Let's go find out!" Bonnie said. We boarded the _Aquila_, leaving the _Erebus_ to its own devices and returned to Skull Island, where we entered Captain Avery's office.

"That Fin, I'll never trust him again. So you've found the map? Good." Captain Avery said as I showed him the piece of the map.

"Fin was aiming to sell it to the Clockworks." I said darkly. Captain Avery nearly fell into his chair from shock as he cried: "Brimstone and biscuits!"

"If the Armada is hunting Marco Pollo's map, things are much worse than I'd thought. You got this piece back in the nick of time."

"I know the Armada imprisoned you. How much do you know about them?"

"Well, I know they're made of metal and they're the navy of Valencia, but other than that and what my uncle's told me, I don't know much." I said.

"That's all? You really should make a point of learning as much as you can about your enemies. And trust me – they are your worst enemies by far."

"The whole mess started years ago, back during the Polarian War."

"Marleybone, Valencia, Monquista – all the great powers were drawn into a terrible war with Polaris which threatened to tear the Spiral apart."

"The first Clockwork soldiers were invented by some genius in Valencia. The Valencians built a horde of them, and gave them control of their navy."

"The new Armada helped end the war. But the Valencians kept building more Clockwork soldiers. Now they've lost control of their puppets. And they are puppets – the Clockworks aren't alive like you and me: hollow men, run on gears and wires, heartless, soulless, and ruthless."

"Kane, first of the Clockworks, commands the Armada. They say Kane is stronger, smarter, and faster than any living being."

"Kane has a court of elite Clockworks to do his will. You know one of them: Deacon, Kane's spymaster. He's the one who imprisoned you."

"The Armada's been working its way into Skull Island – you've seen their expeditions in the jungles. Now we know what they're after – El Dorado."

"They mean to conquer the Spiral and rebuild it, with no place for pirates. If Kane reaches El Dorado, there'll be no stopping them."

"We've got to get the rest of the map before they do. Pollo died in Valencia – that's where you should start. Not an easy place to reach."

"You have to go – I'm too old, and I don't take sides. Talk to Hooktail, an old salt in Puerto Mico. Tell him I sent you, and that I was wrong."

We nodded as we left Captain Avery's office, and we boarded the _Aquila _to sail to Puerto Mico. We soon found a group of Monkeys sitting on benches near the governor's palace, and one of them had a hook at the end of his tail.

"Hooktail, Captain Avery was wrong, and we need to get to Valencia." I said to the Monkey.

"You'll pardon me if I'm a bit... skeptical. You want to go to Valencia? You're mad, my friend – and I don't trust you." Hooktail answered.

"Forgive my shipmate, Pirate, he's grown old and spiteful. There was a time when both of us fought against the Armada and we were glorious…" Another Monkey in purple said.

"That day is done. Want to win me over? Take revenge on they who took my tail – smash a Wharf Rat ship, and I could be convinced to help you."

"Well, it looks like we're sinking a Wharf Rat ship." I said to the others. We boarded the _Aquila_ and Rena soon identified three Wharf Rat gunboats escorting a barge, probably loaded with goods to be smuggled.

"We'll take out the three gunboats and capture the barge." I told Rena. As we drew near the barge and her escorts, the swivel guns fired at the gunpowder kegs exposed on the approaching single-deck gunboats, lighting up the sky as the gunboats fell from the sky.

The crew of the defenseless barge agreed to hand over all of their cargo in exchange for their lives. After the last of the goods were loaded, we sailed back to Puerto Mico.

"You are no spy, I'll give you that. No Armada flunky would ever draw such attention to themselves. So, what do you want to know?"

"What can you tell me about Valencia?" I asked.

"Valencia is the home and stronghold of the Armada. If you go there, the Armada will destroy you. But you can't – all the Stormgates are blocked."

"There is another way." The Monkey in purple said.

"You mean… No – that's death for sure!" Hooktail said.

"You can go via Monquista. You'll need an indigo Windstone for the Gate: salvage one from the wreck at the Scurvy Dogs' hideout, and return to us to install it." The Monkey in purple said to us.

"Alright, we'll get going." I said. We sailed northwest to the hideout of the Scurvy Dogs, Dog pirates from Marleybone.

As we approached the Scurvy Dogs' hideout, they fired cannons at us from the shore, and we fired our own broadside in return.

We dropped anchor without much interference, as we had taken out most of the Scurvy Dogs with our broadside, and my trusted associates and I climbed onto the wreck of the old fourth-rate beached in the middle of a large lagoon.

As we went below decks, we saw that it was filled with water, and we saw several storm shark fins. One storm shark leapt out of the water at us, and Bonnie quickly aimed and fired before it could take a bite out of me.

As three more storm sharks leapt out of the water, Emmett and I stunned them with our pistols. The largest fin disappeared for a second, and then its owner leapt out of the water, covered in electricity.

I aimed my pistol again and fired one of the largest Gunneries I've ever done, and as it struck home, I fell backwards from the recoil and my exhaustion.

Rena caught me just in time, and as the storm shark leapt out of the water again, Bonnie and Emmett fired their guns, finally stunning the storm shark.

Jack took the risk of diving into the water to try and find the Windstone, and a few seconds later, he broke the surface, gasping for air with the glowing gem in his hands.

"The Windstone is ours! Now let's go talk to Hooktail and learn what he doesn't want to tell us." Ratbeard said as Jack came back onto the part of the deck that wasn't submerged. We quickly returned to the _Aquila_, where we sailed back to Puerto Mico.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Map**

Chapter Three

As Hooktail's shipmates were installing the Windstone aboard the _Aquila_, Hooktail said: "The Windstone is all well and good, but the Monquistans have the Stormgate to Valencia blockaded at their end: you need travel papers to pass.

"Perhaps we can ask Lady Eleanor to get us some." Emmett said.

"But that's not the worst – the Stormgate doesn't go straight to Valencia. First you must pass the deadliest Skyway in the Spiral: Avernus."

"Hooktail is right. You'll have to cross a Skyway full of death to reach Valencia. But if you make it, you won't find the Armada waiting for you." The Monkey in purple said.

"If by some miracle you reach Valencia, find a unicorn named Steed there. Show him this pendant – Steed used to be one of us."

I nodded as Hooktail handed me an intricate gold coin with a skull engraving on a thin leather band. "Thank you."

After they had finished installing the Windstone, we immediately set off for Monquista, where we soon arrived at Lady Eleanor's office on the upper floors of Zenda.

"I did not think to see you again. Welcome!" Lady Eleanor greeted us warmly as we entered, with many letters on her desk.

"I'm so very glad to see you again, captain, and I'm sure something very important brings you back to us, but I'm afraid I'm terribly busy right now."

"My efforts to win over the noble houses require my full attention. Please, if you have business, speak to General Gortez. He will help you."

A guard directed us to Gortez's office, where he was muttering over a map of Monquista. As he looked up from his planning, I said: "I'm sorry for coming in unannounced, but we need to get to Valencia as soon as possible."

"You're going to Valencia? I won't ask why, my small young friend – your business is your own. I will help however I can." Gortez said.

"We need travel papers to pass through the blockade at the Stormgate." I said.

"Yes, we can get permits that will get you through the Stormgate, but only a madman would ever willingly enter the Skyway of Avernus." Gortez said thoughtfully.

"Getting papers will take time. Will you help the Opposition while you wait? We have allies and mercenaries, but still lack ships."

"In the skyways we are sorely outnumbered – attack royal ships and you will even the odds. Queen Eleanor will have your papers when you're done."

"It's better than sitting around, doing nothing. Let's go." I said as we turned to leave.

As we were about to board the _Aquila_, two Monkeys wearing black suits of armor stopped us. "You are the captain of this ship, yes?"

I nodded, and the Monkeys introduced themselves as the captains of the other two ships in the docks, the _Fire Arrow_ and the _Royal Conqueror_.

We all set sail, with the two smaller Monquistan ships, both with eighteen guns, flanking the _Aquila_, who had thirty-six.

"It's the Crown!" Bonnie Anne shouted from the crow's nest as five ships: a fourth-rate guarded by four frigates.

"Do you have any bright ideas, Matt?" Rena asked from my left. I thought a moment, and then said: "We'll sink the fourth-rate's escorts, and then move in for a double broadside."

We raised the signal flags for _"single out a target" _and the Fire Arrow and the Royal Conqueror split off in different directions to engage the frigates at the end of the line, leaving us to engage the two other frigates that had gone on ahead of the fourth-rate.

The frigates had fewer guns than the _Aquila_ combined, and there wasn't much left of the resulting Monquistan wrecks as we sailed towards the fourth rate.

The _Fire Arrow _moved in onto the fourth-rate's starboard side, and on my signal, we both fired on the fourth-rate, though while David's men had fired round shots, the _Fire Arrow_ had fired chain shots that ripped through the sails and toppled the masts.

"They intend to capture her!" I said as I turned the wheel, the _Fire Arrow_ giving us right-of-way. We both drew to a stop at the fourth-rate's sides, and we quickly secured the fourth-rate with our grappling hooks, and we attacked the Monquistadors on two sides.

We made short work of the fourth-rate, and it was agreed that the captain of the _Fire Arrow_ would take command of the fourth-rate, while his first mate would take over the _Fire Arrow. _

We returned triumphant to Zenda, where the Opposition was rather exultant to see the fourth-rate, a valuable addition.

"Here, captain, are your papers. I fear I shall never see you again – you go to your doom in Avernus. Bet rest assured, I will never forget you." Lady Eleanor said solemnly as she handed me the travel papers in her office.

I nodded as I put the letters in my inside coat pocket and left Zenda to enter the Stormgate to Avernus.

"These papers are in order, captain. Why anyone should want to brave that hideous Skyway is beyond me, but your doom is yours to seize." The captain of one of the blockade ships said as he handed me back the papers.

We continued into the Stormgate, and when we entered Avernus, it was like we had entered hell itself. The clouds below us were blood red, and the peaks of the obsidian spires that emerged from them were occasionally struck by lightning.

I couldn't help but feel both scared and awestruck at the view, and we soon arrived at the Stormgate to Valencia, where we passed through to Aragon Skyway.

The clouds below us were a stormy gray, and Armada ships patrolled near a giant floating metal citadel. A marble villa was built on a small island near us.

"Let's ask for Steed over there." Rena said as she pointed to the villa. I nodded as I turned the _Aquila_ around to make port.

We dropped anchor in the small dock that the villa overlooked, and I and my trusted associates walked up the stairs to the villa, where we saw the back of an elderly Unicorn leaning against a cane as he stared into the waters of a fountain.

"I don't know you. You are a long way from home, Pirates. Why are you here?" The elderly Unicorn asked as he turned to face us. He had a white mustache and beard, and he wore round glasses.

"My name is Matthew Exeter, and these are my trusted associates. We're against the Armada." I said.

"You oppose the Armada? It is a foolish stand to take, young one, especially so close to the center of their power. I have no patience for bravado." Steed said, snorting.

"Show him Hooktail's amulet." Rena whispered in my ear. I nodded as I pulled away the collar of my coat and pulled the pendant out to show Steed.

"Ah, so the Resistance sent you – all the way from Skull Island, by the look of you. You're too late. The great struggle is over. We lost." Steed said.

"It may be over, but we're here to find Marco Pollo's map before the Armada does." I continued.

"That's just a legend. Still, if the Armada wants it, I'll gladly help you keep it from them." Steed said thoughtfully.

"Pollo taught at the academy in Sivella – the map may be there. But you two cannot walk into Sivella as you are. You both need a disguise."

"Luckily, I have a suit for you two to wear. It won't stand up to close scrutiny, but will serve you well if you're careful." Steed said as he pointed at me and Rena. He gestured for us to follow him into the villa and its basement, where there were two Clockwork suits.

Rena and I went into separate rooms to change, and we emerged from them looking like Armada musketeers.

"There, my countrymen will be too afraid of you to notice anything unusual. You should meet no resistance." Steed said, satisfied.

"Go to Sivella, and seek out a scholar named Thaddeus. Tell him that I sent you, and ask him for access to the library."

"Before you go, you two may find this interesting." Steed then showed us two wanted posters for me and Rena with hand-drawn sketches that were actually pretty good. I was worth seven hundred gold coins, and Rena was worth five hundred gold coins.

"Well, the Armada must really want the both of you dead." Jack said, amused as he looked over our shoulders. I couldn't believe that I already had a bounty on my head, much less that my bounty was seven hundred gold coins.

I smiled as we put the wanted posters away. We thanked Steed and we boarded the _Aquila_ with the others, and though a few eyebrows were raised, no one commented on our disguises.

We sailed southeast to Sivella, where we made port, and Rena and I walked into the city with two sparquebuses to complement our disguises. We walked into a marketplace where Clockworks stood guard near shops run by Guinea Pigs.

Clockworks aside, Sivella was a beautiful city, and we boarded a gondola to the academy. As we stepped off the gondola in front of the academy, Rena whispered to me: "It worked! The Clockworks will let us pass! Let's not get too close though."

We approached two Unicorns whispering quietly, where I said in my best machine-like voice: "Where is the scholar Thaddeus?"

The Unicorns pointed nervously to our left, where a Unicorn in green was reading a book, and we left without saying a word.

"Why do you come for me, soldier? I'm not the one you want! I have done nothing!" Thaddeus cried as we approached him.

We put our fingers to our lips as we removed our masks. "I'm Matt Exeter, captain of the _Aquila_, and this is my first mate, Rena Raden."

"You are human after all. Forgive me; I mistook you for one of _them_. What do you seek at the Imperial Academy?" Thaddeus asked.

"We're looking for Marco Pollo's map." I answered.

"Marco Pollo? Keep your voice down!" Thaddeus whispered urgently.

"The academy is in turmoil, captain. The Armada is searching every inch of this place, for what? I don't know."

"The students have been sent home, and we scholars and professors wait outside, unable to walk where we will. It is as though we are prisoners!"

"If you're looking for something of Marco Pollo's, you need Gonzaga the historian. He usually lectures in the grand amphitheatre."

We soon found the grand amphitheatre after avoiding patrols of Clockworks, where another Unicorn was reading a book while standing at the bottom of the amphitheatre.

"What now?" The Unicorn, presumably Historian Gonzaga, asked as we approached them. We took off our masks, and Historian Gonzaga visibly relaxed.

"Oh, you are not who you seem to be. You shouldn't be here, should you? Don't worry – your secret's safe with me."

"We're looking for Marco Pollo's map to El Dorado." Rena said.

"You know your history!" Historian Gonzaga said, surprised. "If there are any copies of Pollo's map, the library will have them. The library is, of course, off limits during this 'crisis.'"

"Find Guairá, the library's custodian. He'll sneak you in there. Once inside the library, find Librarian Adelman."

We nodded as we put back on our masks and continued our search, when we soon found a Guinea Pig cleaning the floors. I said as we took off our masks: "Gonzaga sent us."

"Gonzaga sent you? Of course I will help! These confounded Clockworks turned my beloved academy inside out – I'd do anything to tweak their noses." Custodian Guairá said as he stood up to shake our hands.

"There is a service entrance to the library – you will find it above, and it should be unguarded. This key will open it. Go!"

Custodian Guairá handed Rena a key, and we nodded our thanks as we continued. We soon found the entrance, where Rena unlocked the door and we went inside, locking the door.

"You are too late. The cog-headed fiends have taken everything. Everything! It's outrageous." Librarian Adelman said.

"The Armada took all the books and papers Pollo gave to the library. Everything – they even took books written _about_ him!"

"These… machines were made to protect Valencia from our enemies. Are truth and knowledge our enemies now?"

"I fear I cannot help you. Perhaps Gonzaga knows of some other way for you to find what you seek. I wish you luck."


	4. Chapter 4

**The Map**

Chapter Four

"Pollo's books and papers have been confiscated? What use does the Armada have for them?" Historian Gonzaga asked.

"Everything Marco Pollo wrote or referenced taken… The fools probably even stole _my_ book about him… Wait… there may still be hope!"

"I saw the Clockworks carry away several crates two days ago. They took them to the fortress at the other end of the skyway."

"Take your ship and go to the fortress. Get those books, or see if you can learn where the Armada took them!"

"Thank you, Gonzaga." I said as we turned to leave. As we set sail from Sivella, we soon spotted the floating metal fortress at the east end of Aragon Skyway.

To our surprise, we didn't meet any resistance as we quietly dropped anchor at the metal dock at the entrance of the fortress and entered the fortress.

"Look at those crates – they might have the books! Let's deal with the guards and check them, quick!" Bonnie said as she pointed to near the stairs at the end the circular hallway, where a patrol of Clockworks was walking around.

I raised my hand with the fingers open, and Bonnie and Emmett nodded as we raised our guns, and as I closed my hand in a fist, we opened fire on the four Clockworks, stunning them to be finished off by the others.

Ratbeard ran over to the crates and opened them. "Blast! There are no books here, captain!"

"There must be a manifest in the tower." Jack said. He led the way up the stairs, where we soon found the main office and the desk of the Clockwork in charge of the fortress.

"I've got it! I can't make head or tail of it, captain. You should take it back to that historian you mentioned, Gonzaga." Bonnie said as she handed me the manifest. As I looked at it, I realized it was written in some kind of code.

We quickly made our way back to the _Aquila_, and Rena and I changed into our Clockwork disguises so that we could enter the academy of Sivella.

"I see fortune does not favor you this day. The books were gone? Well, perhaps this can tell us where." Gonzaga said as he examined the manifest.

"This manifest is written in some kind of cipher. Here, my colleague Magdalena will be able to read it. She is the chief linguist of the academy." Gonzaga beckoned to a nearby Unicorn, and Gonzaga handed her the manifest.

"Yes, I can read this. It is a simple code the Armada favors. I see the books you are looking for. It seems they have been sent on to Cadiz." Magdalena said as she examined the manifest.

"Cadiz? Let the books go, captain. Sneaking here was bold but Cadiz is the center of Kane's power. Going there is suicide." Gonzaga said.

"I fear we've lost. Marco Pollo's secrets are lost to us now, perhaps forever."

"Perhaps not all is lost, Gonzaga." Another Unicorn spoke up as he walked over.

"Sivella is not the only place Pollo kept his records. Tell me, have you ever heard of Granchia?"

Rena and I shook our heads, and the Unicorn continued. "Granchia is a small isle, not far from here. It hosts an ancient village, where Marco Pollo retired."

"Marco Pollo was entombed under the great chapel in Granchia after his death. I have read that many books and papers were buried with him."

"A colleague of mine, Lorenzo, is in Granchia, writing a book. Find him – he will help you find Pollo's tomb."

We nodded our thanks at this information, and we left the academy to board the _Aquila_. We sailed northeast to Granchia, where we made port.

Granchia was actually a pretty nice place, except for a few wrecked houses and a giant excavation machine shoveling away near an unnatural edge of the island, like someone had taken a bite of a misshapen cookie.

"Look at this! The Armada is… eating the island!" Emmett cried.

"Aye, and when they're finished here, they'll do the same to every island in Valencia. After Valencia, they'll do this to the whole Spiral!" Ratbeard said.

"Never mind that, let's find this Lorenzo fellow." Bonnie said. I pointed to a nearby Unicorn with his back to us. "Let's ask him."

As I tapped him on the shoulder, the Unicorn nearly jumped out from his horseshoes. "Who goes there?"

"I'm sorry for the scare, but are you Lorenzo?" I asked. The Unicorn nodded.

"And you are no Clockwork – thank goodness you've come – the Armada destroyed my ship, and I am trapped here!"

"They are destroying the island. Centuries of art and architecture, swept away! It is too terrible to contemplate."

"We're looking for Marco Pollo's tomb." I said.

"It should still survive – the fiends have not yet destroyed the chapel. There – that's it."

"Good luck with your search – I hope you find what you seek."

"Thank you, Lorenzo." I said as we began walking away. In the ruins of an old house, we soon found an entrance. Rena pried open the small door with her dagger, and she pulled it away.

"This is more like it. Let's find that tomb!" Bonnie said as she began her descent down into the catacombs.

We were nearly detected by some Clockwork soldiers as we made our way through the catacombs, and so we made sure to check behind corners.

We soon found a ladder leading up, and I led the others into Marco Pollo's tomb. As I entered the tomb, I could see that it was a nice place, with simple marble architecture and a map of the Spiral engraved on the floor.

"So this is Pollo's tomb. Be careful – I smell trouble." Jack said as he rested his hand on the hilt of his cutlass.

"Look! A blue Windstone! We should bring it back with us, captain." Emmett said as he pointed to the glowing gem, visible from the hole inside the base of a statue of Marco Pollo.

As Emmett took the gem, Bonnie completed her sweep of the tomb. "There's no map piece, captain."

"We're too late." Rena sighed. I put a hand on her shoulder. "There are still five other pieces left for us to find, right?"

"Who is down here? Don't bother trying to hide. I can hear your hearts beat." A voice said. We turned around to see Armada musketeers, dressed in white, and Armada marines, dressed in black, standing near a Clockwork soldier different from the rest.

He was dressed like a jester, with a maroon-and-navy-blue outfit and a jester's hat with bells. He held a rod with his mask, which had a long nose and was split into two halves, with one side that was white and smiling with a black mustache, and a side that was black and angry with a white mustache.

The Clockwork leader turned his head so that the white half of his mask was facing us. "Who are you? No kinsman of mine, I'm sure."

I had never heard a Clockwork soldier speak so casually, so I wasn't too sure on how to respond. "I am Matthew Exeter."

"And I am Phule. You're a _human? _How marvelous! How in the Spiral did you get in here?" The Clockwork leader asked. Then he turned his head so that the black half of his mask was facing us.

"I know why you're here, and what you're looking for. Too late! We took the shred of Pollo's map weeks ago. Your pathetic efforts are in vain." The white half of Phule's mask then turned to face us again.

"Wait, I know you! What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Skull Island, aren't you?" The black half of Phule's mask then took over again.

"Yes, the Armada knows all about you, Pirate. Surrender the piece of Pollo's map you have, and I will let you live." The white half of Phule's mask then took over again.

"You know, I'm tempted to let you go. You're so resourceful – you'd be quite a thorn in the side of Deacon, Bishop, or Kane himself! Then again…"

"Captains, attack!" Phule commanded with the black half of his mask turned to face us.

"White cadre – commence staggered assault!" The officer leading the Clockwork musketeers in white ordered.

"Black cadre – incapacitate the intruders!" The officer leading the Clockwork marines in black ordered.

"Farewell, pirate – I'm sure we shall meet again!" Phule said cheerfully with the white half of his mask turned towards me.

"Get the officers or they'll just keep coming!" Jack shouted as we drew our weapons.

As the Clockwork musketeers aimed their rifles at me, I quickly restrained one of the Clockwork marines just in time to intercept their shots with his body.

I returned fire with my Gunnery power, knocking a few of them off their feet for them to be finished off by the others.

Bonnie and Emmett fired their guns, stunning three of the marines, and Ratbeard kicked another marine in the chest, allowing him to be finished off by Ratbeard's cutlass.

Rena ran towards the officer leading the Clockwork marines, and before he could react, she stabbed him in the breastplate.

She kicked the officer off the point of her sword, and she deflected the halberd of another marine, who met his end when I drove the edge of my sword into his head.

As the remaining Clockwork musketeers raised their muskets in a firing line, Rena threw her dagger into the breastplate of the other officer, and we ducked behind a statue just in time to avoid being stunned.

We ran out from behind the statue, and as I parried a bayonet with the butt of my pistol, I decapitated my attacker and then spun to slam the butt of my pistol into another musketeer's head.

As the last marine fell, I could see the others running towards us. Jack grabbed a musket from a musketeer's hands and slammed the butt of it into its owner's face, and Old Scratch summoned a giant glowing skeletal hand to smash another musketeer.

Another musketeer fell to the ground, stunned by Bonnie's Scaramanga as Emmett aimed his two pistols and stunned two more musketeers.

As Rena finished the last musketeer, I suddenly remembered Phule, and I turned my head, seeing no sign of him.

"The fiend is gone! We'd best get out of here too!" Ratbeard cried as he sheathed his cutlass.

"I've had enough of Valencia – let's go back to Steed!" Bonnie said as she led the way back to the _Aquila_. We sailed west back to Steed's villa, where the old Unicorn let us into his villa for tea.

"Your search has been in vain. I can see it in your eyes. Anyone who would vie with the Armada must become accustomed to defeat." Steed said gently as he poured me another cup of tea. I sighed as I drank my tea and stared into the fire crackling melancholically.

"There may be one last hope."

We all looked up at that from our tea, and Steed continued, putting down his cup of tea as he stared into the fire, as if looking into his memories. "I once knew a Unicorn, Varo by name. He revered Marco Pollo, and was his finest student."

"Varo sat beside Marco Pollo's deathbed – he alone heard the explorer's last words. If anyone might know more about the map, Varo does."

"Varo made his way to Monquista and joined some holy order."

"Didn't we see a Unicorn at Saint Bonobo's Abbey?" Ratbeard asked.

"Yeah…" I said, thinking of Queen Anna's tower. We were all about to get up and leave, but Steed held out a hoof.

"It is midnight, child. You will have a better chance of surviving the Stormgate to Monquista after a good night's rest. You and your crew may stay here."

I nodded. "Thank you, Steed. Have a good night, everyone."


End file.
